Kemira reports weaker nine-month profit as raw material costs rise

Kemira reported January–September 2026 revenue of EUR 2,079.3 million, down 1%, while operative EBITDA fell 16% to EUR 341.8 million and the operative EBITDA margin narrowed to 16.4%. Q3 revenue rose 3% to EUR 708.9 million, mainly from acquisitions, but operative EBITDA dropped 18% as raw material and logistics cost inflation linked to the Middle East conflict weighed on margins. Kemira reiterated its 2026 outlook of EUR 2,600–3,000 million revenue and EUR 400–500 million operative EBITDA, with about EUR 100 million of cost inflation expected to be roughly 50% offset by price increases.

Key facts

Market context

Kemira is a major supplier of water treatment chemicals and paper and fiber chemicals, and its results are closely watched as a read-through for both segments. Coagulants and flocculants such as polyaluminium chloride and polyacrylamide are used to clarify drinking water and treat municipal and industrial effluent, while fiber chemicals support pulp production, papermaking and packaging board. Demand in these end markets tends to track municipal spending, industrial output and paper and packaging volumes, so softness in pulp and packaging pulls on volumes. Input costs for these products depend heavily on energy, petrochemical feedstocks and transport, so disruptions in oil and gas markets quickly feed through to production costs. Suppliers typically pass on only part of such increases through price adjustments, often with a lag, which can compress margins across the chemical supply chain. Acquisitions can lift reported revenue while underlying profitability is still under pressure, so buyers should watch pricing discipline and supply reliability in the coming quarters.

Source: official release on kemira.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.